Bastamander
Bastamander is a Komodo Dragon kaiju that features in The Mammal Wars. Along with Ostesooks, he is one of Seslinian's reptilian allies and the pair are also the only reptilian allies of the fox. In literature, Bastamander and Ostesooks are also the only two heroic reptiles (excluding the Defenders of Earth regiment since they are monsters). Appearance In his first appearance, Bastamander is described as being a strange kind of roadblock for PHANTOM operatives who have captured the Women of the Night and are transporting them to HMNB Portsmouth for transfer to Russia; however, unlike other reptiles in literature, Bastamander is not described in much detail. He has a long flat head with a rounded snout, scaly skin, bowed legs and a huge, muscular tail. In his mouth are about 60 frequently replaced serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) in length. His saliva is frequently tinged with blood, because like other Komodo's teeth, Bastamander's are almost completely covered by gingival tissue that is naturally lacerated during feeding. He also has a long, yellow, deeply-forked tongue. Personality Like Blasteovark, Bastamander has lived in Hampshire for a long time in the New Forest Wildlife Park in Southampton where he gains the nickname by Sotonians "The Lizard King" and he is not prepared to let that nickname slide. To some extent, Bastamander is a foil of two characters: Blasteovark and his arch enemy Zautsuar; like Blasteovark, he has resided in the New Forest Wildlife Park for a long time and so is shown to be un-accepting towards foreigners and has a highly arrogant streak. As well as his arrogance, Bastamander is shown to hold Seslinian (at first) in very high contempt when they meet each other in The PHANTOM Invasion that eventually comes to slide to the point that he ends up killing Jomnune in Survival. Powers and abilities As a Komodo Dragon, Bastamander is immune to much attacks because his skin is built like armour plating which leaves little of his body vulnerable to attack in contrast to the soft fur of a mammal opponent such as Blasteovark, Veodiphin or Clulphion. It is also this armour plating skin that grants him enhanced protection from standard human weaponry such as firearms. Komodo Dragons are one of the world's deadliest lizards and Bastamander's abilities reflect that because he also possesses a venom breath and venom bite which he uses on Zautsuar the second time they meet in The PHANTOM Invasion. Unlike Ostesooks, Bastamander's tougher skin grants him immunity from electricity; like Ostesooks however, he is capable of psychic blasts and along with Vlaasarak has a strong tail. He also shares Jomnune's ability to copy his opponents skills which he uses mostly against Zautsuar and also has an acidic touch which is rarely used. Despite immunity to human weaponry, however Bastamander is shown to be vulnerable to attacks from other reptile enemies, as shown during his first encounter with Ostesooks where the snake blinds him but the dragon heals his eyes and enables himself to see again. The Mammal Wars The Lizard King: Following the capture of the Women of the Night by PHANTOM operatives hiding in the United Kingdom, Bastamander first appears as a roadblock after sensing the presence of another reptile kaiju like him in Hampshire and going to confront it. Once he is cleared, PHANTOM speed away as quickly as possible while Bastamander meets his opponent: Ostesooks. The confrontation between komodo and black mamba is observed by Sotonians nearby who also watch the fight where in the process, Ostesooks gains an advantage over Bastamander by spitting venom into his eyes blinding him, causing the dragon to thrash around trying to attack the snake. With his enemy now blind and flailing around incoherently, Ostesooks goes in for the kill. Going for the traditional Black Mamba attack of going for rapid bites at once, Bastmander eventually heals his eyes, grabs the snake and throws him around Southampton eventually holding the Black Mamba above his head, Bane style, and throwing the snake into a set of electric pylons plunging the city into darkness. As a threat, he keeps Ostesooks in the pylons with the intentions to kill him; until the snake accepts defeat. With Ostesooks' surrender, Bastamander releases the snake and proposes an alliance with the snake to which the snake accepts and under the dragon's order, leaves him alone. But what the Lizard King doesn't know is that the exchange between him and Ostesooks was being watched the whole time by a shadowy figure which accuses Bastamander of being a false king for suggesting an alliance with an unworthy opponent: "You call yourself The Lizard King and propose an alliance with an unworthy opponent? You disappoint me, Bastamander. Soon you will fight someone who is your superior!" After the two reptilian allies return to their respective zoos where they came from, Bastamander is shocked to learn his exhibit (which is much more open and akin to a tiger or lion exhibit rather than a traditional reptile exhibit like a snake or turtle), has been taken over by another reptile; when Bastamander asks its name, the reptile replies: "Your superior, Bastamander and the true Lizard King! I am Zautsuar!" Unsurprisingly, Bastamander is not impressed by this reptile claiming to be his superior and so angrily tells the lizard, Zautsuar, that no one is superior to him. The invader of Bastamander's exhibit proceeds to slander "The Lizard King" by telling him that the only reason he has such a title is because he fights "unworthy opponents" in his exhibit. The Komodo however, still refuses to believe Zautsuar and instead tells him that if the Asian Water Monitor truly wishes to claim the lizard king title, then he will have to fight him for it. But despite Zautsuar's acceptance, Bastamander is still disgusted by leaving instead of fighting him there and then. Zautsuar, however, has not left his exhibit. Instead, he is still inside the zoo where he taunts Bastamander and asks him that if he was a pretender of the Lizard King, could he control other reptiles? Sure enough, that's exactly what the Water Monitor does and sets all reptile life in the New Forest Wildlife park to attack the Komodo. It takes Bastamander an hour to fight off his opponents, by which point the water monitor has fled the zoo causing Bastamander to chase him. But Zautsuar blends in with the background and attacks Bastamander with his laser eyes sending the Komodo flying into a kiosk leaving tickets and money strewn all over the kiosk. In one such incident, a cash machine lands on Bastamander concussing him and spilling all of its money onto him. But the lizard is not done yet and emerges from the money pile and blasts Zautsuar with a mouth blast of his own, sending the Water Monitor flying backwards. Bastamander picks up his enemy and throws him back into the zoo, to which Zautsuar appears to flee again causing Bastamander to go after him. Zautsuar, however, is not fleeing from Bastamander, he is luring the Komodo. The Komodo is lured right back to his exhibit, where despite telling Zautsuar that "you don't deserve to live", he allows him to let him live under one condition; The water monitor is to leave the country, and never come back. While the Monitor complies at first, the pair eventually are forced into a duel which results in Bastamander being thrown onto his back as Zautsuar goes in for the kill. Bastamander manages to recover just in time to grab the Monitor, throw him out of his exhibit and into another exhibit in the hope that throwing him into glass will kill him; which proves futile when the Monitor gets back up and pulls out glass shards from his back leading to this exchange all the while: "You won't get rid of me that easily, Bastamander." the Water Monitor hissed. "You can sssssay that, again." a familiar voice hissed at Zautsuar. Out of the shadows, came Ostesooks who told Zautsuar that Bastamander may have been a match for the Lizard King on his own, but when allied with the snake, then the Komodo was more of a match. "Now...let'ssssss take thisssss fight, elssssewhere. Sssssouthampton issss finissssshed, Bassstamander." the Black Mamba hissed "I couldn't agree more!" Zautsuar hissed before leaping at Bastamander again, knocking him flat onto his back which spurred Ostesooks to try and bite Zautsuar with as many rapid bites as he could give...but he only succeeded in giving one because once Ostesooks latched on, the three reptiles vanished in a flash of white light." The light described here, is actually Bastamander teleporting the three reptiles away from Southampton to the civil parish of Bentworth, specifically Bentworth Hall and it is here where the Komodo tells Ostesooks one simple instruction: Get out. The Black Mamba obeys at the right time because Zautsuar arrives at that time. Zautsuar and Bastamander proceed to fight a more active fight which results in a fire at Bentworth Hall and even the destruction of it when the komodo pushes the Asian Water Monitor, straight through the house causing it to collapse. But Zautsuar turns the tables on the Komodo and tries to drown him in a nearby pond; just like with Seslinian and Kaulos during their respective fights with Jomnune, only the timely intervention of Ostesooks saves Bastamander's life and together with the Black Mamba, Bastamander reclaims his rightful place as "The Lizard King". Despite keeping this title however, Bastamander decides that he has spent too long in Hampshire and now decides to see the rest of the United Kingdom. When Ostesooks however, asks him where he will go now that he has decided to leave his home county, Bastamander does not reply and as Ostesooks joins him, the pair head into the sunset. The PHANTOM Invasion: Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Monsters Category:Heroes